Game Recap: Ravens Win a Laugher Over the Redskins in Baltimore
August 30, 2018
by Steve Thomas
The Baltimore Ravens picked over the rotting corpse of the Redskins preseason tonight, winning a laugher by a score of 30 – 20 in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates. It was not a good night for very many Redskins on their final tryout, as a preseason that was largely a downer continued that trend. It was negative way for Washington to end a preseason that has been trending in the wrong direction for several weeks.
The game started out on the bad foot, with the Ravens, led by rookie first round pick Lamar Jackson, allowed to march straight down the field on a 16 play touchdown drive. The Redskins defense featured mostly second stringers in the second quarter and looked terrible in every way, allowing Jackson to scramble for yardage and make several key plays. Kevin Hogan and the Redskins offense then stumbled immediately, going three and out to start the game after Hogan was sacked on third down.
The second quarter went better for Washington, with the Redskins putting together a 13 play, 87 yard touchdown drive of their own, featuring several quality runs by running back Rob Kelley and a Hogan four yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick. The Ravens answered again with 2 more field goals in the second quarter, the second coming off of an unfortunate and ill-timed Samaje Perine fumble. The Redskins failed to capitalize on their second quality drive of the day when a Rob Kelley touchdown run was called back for holding and Dustin Hopkins subsequently missed his first field goal of the preseason on a 37 yard kick that went wide left.
At the half, Hogan was 10 for 13 for 117 yards and a touchdown, with a quarterback rating of 129.3. Kelley was the leading rusher with 9 carries for 44 yards. Trey Quinn was the leading receiver with 3 receptions for 48 yards.
The wheels really came off the bus in the third quarter, with the Redskins defense unable to slow down the Ravens on a 92 yard touchdown drive that featured multiple failings on both pass and run defense. The Ravens then promptly got another touchdown on a pick 6 interception by Kevin Hogan that was intended for tight end Garrett Hudson. The Redskins made the score a bit closer on their next possession when Hogan connected with rookie tight end J.P. Holtz for a 6 yard touchdown. The quarter ended with the score tilted in Baltimore’s favor 27-14.
The fourth quarter was essentially more of the same, although the Redskins did manage to get a late touchdown on a screen pass to De’Veon Smith, who got his first carries of the preseason after being signed earlier this week. The Redskins defense allowed the Ravens to get another field goal and the game ended by a score of 30 – 20.
Hogan played the entire game and finished 22 for 38 for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns, but also threw 2 ugly interceptions. Kelley was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 45 yards. Smith finished the game with 42 yards on 7 carries. Perine had 7 carries for 30 yards, with one fumble, and Kapri Bibbs had 2 carries for 11 yards. Simmie Cobbs was the leading receiver, with 3 receptions for 75 yards. Darvin Kidsy finished with 5 receptions for 46 yards. On defense, Shaun Dion-Hamilton once again led the team with 7 tackles, including 3 solo tackles.
Of the players who flashed, Kelley had his best game of the preseason, which was much needed for him. Kidsy made several quality plays and made a case for himself for a spot on the practice squad, as did Simmie Cobbs, Jr. Washington’s backup offensive line had another down game, leaving a serious depth question unresolved. Not many excelled on defense, although Adonis Alexander continued to show good coverage skills and playmaking ability.
There are only so many ways to describe a stinker of a game. Not much good came out of tonight, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience to watch. Nobody should have expected to see a proper NFL game with backups going all four quarters on both teams, but the Redskins looked overmatched at essentially every turn.
The good news was that the Redskins appeared to suffer no major injuries. The preseason is mercifully over, and the Redskins will next head to Arizona for the first game of the 2018 season. Hopefully things go better than what we saw in August.
The Redskins, along with every other team, now must trim their roster down to 53 over the next two days, so stay tuned to The Hog Sty for all of the details.